Manchester City are reportedly set to sign central defender Juma Bah, who is currently playing his football at Real Valladolid.
While Pep Guardiola's primary aim will be to better Manchester City's current league position, it seems the club have one eye on the future, closing in on a deal to sign 18-year-old Juma Bah.
Here is everything you need to know about Manchester City transfer target Juma Bah.
Born on 11th April 2006, Juma Bah is 18 years old.
Juma Bah was born in Freetown, Sierra Leone, where he would spend much of his childhood playing football on the streets.
Interest doesn't stop at Manchester City for the central defender, with Inter Milan and Fenerbahce also keen on securing his services.
The Citizens are eager to get the deal over the line, however, with the idea of loaning Bah to RC Lens for the remainder of the 2024/25 season.
The exact transfer fee for the Sierra Leonean is currently unknown, though it is expected to be one of Real Valladolid's highest player sales, having only recently exercised a €1m option to buy clause for Bah.
Juma Bah is a central defender who thrives in most departments, standing out when defending in wide areas.
Bah is 6ft 4ins and of a lean and athletic build.
Bah is naturally right-footed but is comfortable using either foot.
Bah's imposing physical presence is clear from his time at Real Valladolid, using his pace and upper body strength to gain the edge in one v one duels.
His ability to defend the box has developed since his move to Spain, playing in a team that are required to do a lot of work off the ball.
That said, he is competent on the ball, and this aspect of his game will only develop under the guidance of Pep Guardiola.
The central defender possesses raw attributes that can cost him on occasions, but his recovery speed often outweighs this weakness.
Metric | Total (Per 90) | Rank |
Clearances | 6.25 | Top 3% |
Challenges lost | 0.21 | Top 13% |
% of Aerials won | 70.25% | Top 8% |
Errors | 0.00 | Top 11% |
(Source: FBref.com compared to positional peers in Men's Next 14 Competitions over the last 365 days.).
Juma Bah spent his youth career playing for his local side, Freetown Giant Academy.
His senior career started at AIK Freetong, though the central defender has never made an appearance for the club, having loan spells at Freetonians SLIFA, Real Valladolid B and Real Valladolid.
Valladolid activated the buy option clause for Bah, though are set to lose him in January, with the Sierra Leonean expected to be loaned from Man City to Lens.
Bah is yet to represent Sierra Leone at international level, though did receive a call up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in 2024.
It is unlikely that Bah will be able to make an instant impact in Manchester City's side, especially given the fact that he is scheduled to spend the second half of the campaign away from the club.
That said, he has all the attributes to become a key member of the Man City squad in the future, possessing raw aspects that other defenders in the squad don't have.
Whether Bah is to make an impact next season or in the coming years, his future is certainly bright.